Frozen Solid
by ToastLover
Summary: After an icy pool incident, Haru is on the hunt for whoever messed with his beloved water. Meanwhile, at Iwatobi High School, two strange European exchange students arrive. Warning: Frozen spoilers to come
1. Chapter 1

**This idea came to me in a dream and tormented me until I thought up a plot for it: how does Haru feel about ice? So, I had _ABSOLUTELY NO CHOICE_ but to involve Frozen, because Elsa is an adorable little snow bunny.**

**Warning: Somewhat OOC Free! characters**

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It was almost 2 in the morning. Haru sat very still in the dark in his bathtub, knees drawn close to him, the warm water almost reaching his shoulders. Even though his eyes were closed, his mind was raging. His body screamed for more. While he had already acknowledged his growing addiction long ago, he couldn't quell the urges within him.

He needed to get to a pool. _Now_.

Finally making up his mind, he jumped out of the tub, threw some clothes on, and ran out the door in the direction of the school. He could practically already feel the smooth water rippling and running across his skin. Quickening his pace, he didn't even notice the anxious-looking girl he passed on the street.

Arriving at the pool, he quickly stripped, leaving himself in his swimsuit. The blue water was completely still but reflected the moonlight beautifully. Haru felt the warm spring night grow slightly colder, but he ignored the oddity as he stepped onto the diving platform. His ecstasy growing in anticipation, he bent over, preparing to dive. The water remained completely undisturbed, but Haru brushed aside all other thoughts.

Suddenly, his lean, muscular form flew through the air, arms outstretched and waiting for the familiar embrace of his beloved water. Then, he connected with the glassy surface…

Haru woke up in a hospital. Makoto was reading a book by his bedside, while what sounded like Nagisa bothering the nurses and Rei scolding him drifted in from the hallway. Bright afternoon light streamed in through the windows, and Haru sluggishly lifted an arm to shade his eyes.

"Oh. Haru, you're awake," Makoto said, putting his book down. "How are you doing?"

The raven-haired teen's face and voice betrayed nothing of the confusion he felt. "What am I doing here?" he asked as he sat up. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror on the wall and saw bandages covering much of his upper body.

The brunette sighed and crossed his arms. "You hit your head and twisted your arm. The janitor found you this morning, unconsciousness, on top of the pool."

"On top?"

Makoto nodded. "It was frozen. Completely solid ice."

"…ice?"

"Yes, and I hope you've finally learned your lesson, Haru." Makoto scolded, as he launched into his well-rehearsed rant. "We all warned you something would eventually happen to you with this obsession of yours, and although no one could've imagined it would been like this, we still—Haru, are you listening to me?!"

But, Makoto was suddenly struck speechless as he saw something he never thought he'd see: emotion on Haru's face. Strangest of all, it was anger.

"Whoever froze my water is going to pay with their lives." Haru clenched the hospital sheets.

"That's a bit much, don't you think?"

"At least say a threat in a threatening tone." Haru and Makoto turned to face the doorway, where Rei was poking his head in. "It sounds like you're discussing golf, Haruka-senpai."

Then, Nagisa burst into the room and flew onto the bed to hug Haru, screaming, "I THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE DEAD, BUT YOU'RE ALIVE! NEVER DIE AND LIVE FOREVER! Huh? Did Haru-chan have an angry face?"

Eventually the nurse came to tell the three visitors to leave before she called security and they left, with Makoto promising to bring the school work Haru would have to make up. By the time the hospital was finally quiet, Haru had regained his completely passive expression. But, inside, he was burning with rage, swearing that he would not rest until whoever who frozen his beloved pool was behind bars for their crimes.

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**This chapter is really short, I know, because I wanted to post it before anyone else came up with the same lovely idea as me. I mean, seriously, Frozen X Free! would make an adorable fandom. I really hope this fanfic will inspire more like it!**

**R&amp;R please!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, again! Thanks for reading through the (extremely short) first chapter. :) The next chapter will most likely not be updated for quite a while, considering how much I procrastinated finishing this one.**

**Once again, a slightly OOC Haru and even some kind of OOC Kristoff...because I'm just that good at manipulating characters. :P**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

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After three days, Haru was discharged, with his left hand wrapped in gauze and a bandage on his forehead. Makoto insisted that he stay with his family until he recovered, but really, Makoto just wanted to prevent his friend from sneaking outside at night to go swimming. Haru begrudgingly agreed.

The following day, at school, Haru could feel a buzz going around amongst the Iwatobi High students. He could hear them whispering excitedly or see the eagerness in their faces or just feel their excitement in the air. By the last class of the day, he'd identified the source of it all.

Two European foreign exchange students were attending their school. They'd been introduced in front of the student body the day Haru was admitted to the hospital for his injuries. One of them was a tall, thickly built, boy. He had shaggy honey blond hair, a large nose, and a broad chest. He was introduced as Kristoff.

The other student was a slim girl with a refined air of elegance about her. She had very light blond hair kept in a bun, big green eyes, and very dainty features. Her head was held high with the maturity that comes with age, a maturity that surely no ordinary high school aged girl should have. At least no Japanese girl. The girl's name was Elsa, and there were many rumors that she was a queen.

Of course, there were many who doubted the rumor; after all, why would a queen leave her country to attend some high school in a remote area of Japan known for its fishing? And even if Elsa was a queen, where were all her bodyguards? Surely, she didn't think that everyone loved her enough not to even attempt to hurt her.

Nonetheless, stories continued to circulate about Elsa's life of grandeur back in whatever European country she came from, and even Kristoff found himself the subject of gossip.

And, then there was Haru, who had the lovely "queen" sitting right in front of him for the entire day. Now, whenever he tried to take a nap between classes, the area in front of him was mobbed by noisy, chattering boys and girls, wanting to ask Elsa questions. Oftentimes, poor Haru was bumped out of his chair by overly excited fans or haters.

The one time Haru himself actually talked to Elsa was when he came back to school. The moment he sat down in class, she turned around and spoke in perfect Japanese to introduce herself. Haru decided that she seemed like a nice, polite girl, who wasn't even that annoyed when he didn't move to shake her extended hand. On top of all that, she was stunningly beautiful; even the apathetic Nanase Haru would agree on that. He caught himself staring at her cream-colored blond hair or her big green doe eyes more than once since he first met her.

Makoto, of course, had gotten as caught up in the excitement as everyone else in their class, and at every available chance, he chattered on and on about the two foreign exchange students.

As for the other student, Kristoff, being placed a year younger than Elsa, he was with the first-year students. And in his class, coincidentally, was another member of the Iwatobi Swim Club: Nagisa. So it didn't come as a huge shock when, one day, during club activities, the hyperactive blond came to the pool with the tall, stocky foreigner in tow. Haru, Makoto, and Rei could only stare blankly at the obvious awkwardness in Kristoff's posture. The swimsuit Nagisa had fitted him in was clearly a couple sizes too small. Even taking into consideration that he was a foreigner, Kristoff was much, much taller and bigger than an average high schooler.

"Gou-kun!" Nagisa called out across the pool to the club's manager. "Look, I brought a new member!"

Kou gritted her teeth, clenching her clipboard. "I told you to call me Ko—" Her clipboard clattered to the ground, when she saw Kristoff's defined biceps and deltoids. She could practically feel her ovaries exploding. "He's in."

"So," Haru began, as he swam over to the two blondes and hoisted himself out of the water. "What style?"

Kristoff stuttered nervously, "U-um, what do you mean?" This black-haired guy's lack of expression was kind of freaking him out.

Haru remained silent for a moment before pointing at the pool and saying, "Swim."

Glancing back and forth between Haru and the pool a couple times, Kristoff nervously walked past Haru and Nagisa. He slowly slid himself in and stood stock still in the shallow end of the pool. The five members of the swim club stared at him expectantly.

"Um…Kristoff?" Nagisa stepped into the pool and swam next to the taller blond. "You gonna swim?"

The foreigner's expression tensed, as he studied his feet under the water. He mumbled softly, his voice trailing off, "I, uh…don't know...how to swim…"

The silence suddenly became infinitely more awkward.

"If I may ask…" Rei pinched the bridge of his nose. "…why did you want to join the swim club if you can't swim?"

"Because I forced him to come," the shorter blond stated happily. "He told he had job experience with water!"

"I said 'ice'. A little different from water," Kristoff said sheepishly as he lifted himself out of the pool and onto his feet. Suddenly, chills ran down his spine and he shivered. He turned and saw the black-haired swimmer's frigid glare directed at him. Haruka, was that what he was called?

"Did you say ice?" Haru asked, his passive appearance beginning to crack.

"Yes, Haruka…san…" This guy was definitely starting to creep him out.

Haru took wide strides forward until he was mere inches away from Kristoff's face. Despite being a good head shorter than the blonde foreigner, Haru's foreboding expression made Kristoff jump a bit.

"State your whereabouts of three days ago on the fourth of March at precisely one-thirteen A.M." Somehow Haru managed to glare down Kristoff while being below his eye level.

"What? Why?"

The swimmer's features twitched momentarily with impatience. Nagisa, who had walked over to stand next to Kristoff, took notice of Haru's uncharacteristic emotion. His eyes widened in awe.

After a minute of tense silence, Haru took a deep breath and seemed to shrink back to his usual size. He realized that all the other members of the club had been holding their breath as they listened to the conversation. Looking back up into Kristoff's face, Haru once again put on his apathetic face.

"Just know that you're at the top of my list, _ice_ boy," Haru warned. "To pay for the crimes done to Pool-chan."

Annoyance suddenly flared up in Kristoff, and he straightened up. "Now hold on, buddy. I don't even know what you're talking about, Haruka, but there's no excuse for you to be rude—"

"Stop. Calling. Me. _Haruka_." Haru practically snarled, all his irritation flowing back into him in a second. He still tried his hardest to keep his calm appearance.

Kristoff's jaw stiffened in response, as he stared down at the shorter man.

Meanwhile, alarms were going off in Makoto's head. As quickly as he could move, he hoisted himself out of the water and moved towards the tense group.

He stopped just next to his raven-haired friend, a hand hovering hesitantly over his shoulder. "Haru…"

After a moment of intense glaring, Haru finally broke Kristoff's gaze and turned on his heels. Makoto trailed after him into the locker room. Everyone left standing around the pool seemed to breathe out in relief.

"Well, you two sure got along well," Rei commented sardonically from the pool.

Kou approached the foreigner. "Kristoff-kun?" She made eye contact with Nagisa to silently communicate her unease. When Kristoff finally met her gaze, she bowed deeply. "I'm very sorry! Please excuse the way Haru acted towards you! You see, this thing happened with the pool a couple days ago…it froze over—"

"Wait, what? It froze? You mean to ice?" Kristoff interrupted. A hundred horrible thoughts suddenly ran through his mind. Without listening to Kou trying to explain what happened, the blonde already knew without a doubt what had happened. And he could predict the trouble to come once the rumor of a frozen pool in the middle of a relatively warm spring began to circulate.

He needed to leave as soon as possible and find Elsa.

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**I feel like I can't properly portray Nagisa's energy...and also Haru came off as a jerk... Oh yeah, and I forgot about Amakata-sensei. TT_TT**

**But, please R&amp;R, and if I made any grammar errors, feel free to correct me. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**So sorry for the long time between updates, but now that school's started, I'm going to have even less time to work on this fic. So, so sorry! D: I swear I have the whole plot laid out in my head; it just takes a while to put it all into words.**

**Again, disclaimer, I don't own Free! or Frozen. **

**More sassy Haru coming your way...**

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"Haru. _Haru._"

The fuming, black-haired swimmer stopped as soon as he heard Makoto's tone. The two of them were in the locker room, with Haru heading to the showers and Makoto trailing behind.

"Haru, you know I'm going to make you apologize sooner or later." The brunette was surprising even himself with his sermonizing tone of voice. "You have to understand that Kristoff is new here. You can't seriously expect him to know everything about what's happened."

Taking a deep breath before turning around, Haru peered at his friend under his dripping wet bangs. His face had regained its usual stoniness, but what he said next revealed much of what he was feeling and hit Makoto like a slap to the face. "You're not my mother. Stop lecturing me. Leave me alone."

For the rest of the day, the rest of the members of the swim club were awkwardly all too aware of the unusual silence between Haru and Makoto. And then there was poor Kristoff, caught up in the wordless argument without ever being mentioned. Nagisa and Rei shared a look then kept quiet.

Frustrated and annoyed, Kou ended the practice early and sent the club members home. The atmosphere in the locker room on the way out was so tense and thick that no one even noticed the tall blond foreigner quietly slip outside in the direction of the school building.

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Handwriting looping elegantly on her notebook paper, Elsa leaned her cheek on one hand while writing at her desk. The rest of the poetry club stole the occasional glance at the breathtaking girl, admiring her concentration on her work. It was a quiet, peaceful spring afternoon, and the effect was clearly not being wasted on the relaxed exchange student.

So, when Kristoff suddenly threw open the classroom door, Elsa jolted out of her chair at the sound. "Elsa!" Kristoff breathlessly called. "We need to talk." Rising out of her chair as calmly as her still fluttering nerves allowed, amid whispers and sideway glances, Elsa joined him in the hallway, closing the door discreetly behind her.

About to reprimand him for interrupting the club meeting, the slender girl stopped short when she saw the upset almost angry expression on her friend's face. "What happened?" she asked tentatively.

"Some guy in the swimming club just told me that the pool was frozen over three days ago." When the shorter girl tensed, Kristoff instantly knew what happened. "You snuck out of the apartment that day, didn't you?"

Elsa averted her gaze to the floor. "I went for a walk at night to see the town. And there was this beautiful pool with cherry blossoms surrounding it." Her fingers clasped to each other nervously. "So, I wanted to dip my feet in, but when I did…"

"Yeah, I got it." The stocky blonde sighed and scratched behind his head. "But, come on, you gotta admit that was pretty reckless of you."

Elsa raised her head to look at the taller boy. "I'm sorry, Kristoff, I really am. I honestly didn't think the water would ice over. I thought I could hide it and keep it under control—"

A squeaking shoe suddenly echoed in the empty hallway.

Both of the foreigners stood stock still, eyes wide open like two deer in headlights. After a few moments, footsteps could be heard hurriedly running down the stairs. Seconds later, silence engulfed the building. When their eyes met again, Elsa and Kristoff exchanged a serious glance, then headed back into the classroom.

For the rest of the club meeting, the two of them stuck close to each other, not caring about the suspicions being raised among the gossip-eager students surrounding them. Finally, the club activities ended and the two blonde, mysterious foreigners walked out of the school together.

* * *

_To my dear Anna,_

So far, it's been a ton of fun being here in Japan with Elsa. We've been here for more than a week now, and we've already met a whole bunch of interesting people. Some of them were really interesting, like this blank faced guy who turned out to be a jerk and then this cute quirky blond kid who reminds of that snowman friend-person-I still don't know why it's alive and moving-guy of yours. We managed to get into one of the local high schools, but we have yet to actually do anything of what we came here to do.

I don't know how long it's going to take us to get back, but Elsa is stubborn to not leave until she's satisfied. The only problem we had so far is that she kind of froze a swimming pool in the middle of spring, so…yeah people are getting a little suspicious.

We're getting to be pretty popular, being new here and all. Ha ha, but don't worry, you know I still only have eyes for you. Of course, Elsa is attracting a lot of guys and it's actually pretty entertaining to see how she deals with it. You should see her face when a high school guy approaches her and tries to ask her on a date. And there are plenty who are staring at us in other ways, like they know who we really are and where we're from. It's a little scary to not have the usual number of guards protecting us, but I'm sure we'll manage. Otherwise, things are great!

I miss Arendelle and Sven and the village, but I miss you most of all, Anna.

_All my love, Kristoff_

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_Kristoff,_

Please keep my sister safe and come back soon as you can. I love you.

_Your fiancée, Anna_

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**Hope you enjoyed another painfully short chapter! Oh yeah, and I realized when doing research that Elsa's eyes are blue, not green. ( -_- )**

**R&amp;R please! 3**


	4. Chapter 4

**At last another update! And this one's longer than usual! O.O The plot bunny hops forward!**

**I don't own Free! or Frozen, and this time, I tried not to make them OOC.**

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Impatiently squirming on a tatami-covered floor, Elsa was draped over a table, staring at a small, boxy television set in the corner. Dressed casually in a loose fitting shirt and leggings with her hair braided and laid about her shoulders, she rested her head tiredly on her arm. Flippantly browsing through the channels with one hand, the queen sighed with boredom. The television shows in Japan weren't uninteresting in the least, but there were too many other things on her mind for her to enjoy the brightly colored game shows.

Her and Kristoff's assigned homework from that day rested on one corner of the table, all of it neatly completed and organized into folders long ago. Lifting her head from her arm, Elsa peered at the clock on the wall: a quarter until 11. Kristoff had been gone for nearly an hour now on a trip to the grocery store. Elsa buried her face into the crook of her arm; something was surely wrong. By now, he most certainly would've come back to the small apartment they'd rented or at least have called on the temporary flip phones they'd bought just for their time in Japan. Her trusted friend wouldn't have just left her alone—unprotected—while he went around the town sightseeing.

Or, Elsa suddenly thought, what if the Duke had found them? What if he had sent agents after Kristoff? What if they had figured out where they're living? What if they had seen him leave the apartment? What if they attacked him? _What if Kristoff was bleeding to death in an alley right now?_ Freaking out internally, Elsa ran her fingers through her hair shakily, her pessimistic nature overriding her rational thinking. Drawing into herself, Elsa's mind struggled to remain calm, but panic rose rapidly in her throat.

Without Elsa noticing, the tatami mats underneath her began to whiten and harden. The small living room's temperature discreetly lowered a couple degrees. Crystalline patterns swirled slowly on the table and on the walls. And when Elsa slipped a pair of jeans on and flew out the door, she left a trail of icy footprints leading into the street.

Her delicate figure scurrying in the dark, blond hair seeming to glow in the night, Elsa stumbled through the streets and absent-mindedly realized she'd forgotten her shoes. Suddenly, she yelped as she hit her foot on an uneven sidewalk and flung a hand out at a lamppost to steady herself.

She quickly regained her balance but was horrified by the sheets of ice streaking up and down the pole she'd just touched. "Oh, no…" Backing away, Elsa looked around frantically for anyone who had just seen that. Seeing none, she quickly ran away. Her breathing grew ragged with exhaustion. Worry overwhelmed her. The queen felt like crying out in frustration.

Light erupted from a nearby floodlight. Elsa froze in her tracks. It wasn't shining on her, but it illuminated the side of the school. "I hadn't realized I was already in this area," Elsa whispered to herself. Actually, the light was directed onto a fenced off area, most of which was hidden by a short, rectangular building. Drawn to the light and the familiar setting, the blonde girl hesitantly approached the illuminated area.

About to round the corner of the building, Elsa heard barely audible footsteps. Pausing uncertainly, she placed a hand on the wall, flinching away when an icy pattern swirled onto the concrete from her fingertips. She drew in a deep breath. "Get it under control, Elsa," she muttered to herself, subconsciously touching the lump in her jacket pocket: her gloves. She almost pulled them out but shook her head and told herself she didn't need them. After all, it would only make her look even more suspicious than she already did, given that she was walking around the school at around 11 o'clock at night. Taking another deep breath and holding it, Elsa straightened up and rounded the corner.

The floodlights glinted harshly off the surface of the filled swimming pool. A tall silhouette, whose features were hidden from the glare of the lights, crouched at the edge of the pool. It dipped its fingers in the water as if testing its temperature. Then, the silhouette stepped up onto the diving platform, bent over, and flew into the water, all in one fluid, well-rehearsed motion.

Once the water splashed up, Elsa dared to venture closer. Why would Kristoff even be here? she thought, unlatching the side gate to the fence. It's doubtful he would stop by the pool for a swim on the way back from grocery shopping. But her halfhearted inner protests faded away as she crept through the gateway. Slowly taking half steps toward the water, her feet carried her forward, still not knowing exactly why she was here.

The body in the pool cut through the water with obvious ease, catching Elsa's attention and captivating her. Elsa remembered a time a few months ago in Arendelle; she'd called the court painter in for a portrait of Anna and Kristoff posing together. Despite the two of them constantly squirming and both the snow queen and the painter repeatedly telling them to stay still, the portrait had come out as perfectly as expected. Even now, Elsa could recall the painter's brush gliding smoothly across the canvas, the colors blending beautifully together, and the admirable expression of concentration on the painter's face. Elsa felt that same feeling of being in the presence of art when watching this boy swim. His toned arms cutting cleanly through the water, the bright blue chlorine contrasting with his pale skin, and his occasionally visible eyes that reflected his focus as clearly as the water reflected the floodlights.

Elsa figured that once he came back to the end of the pool he started at, he'd get out and notice her, and then she could politely compliment his swimming abilities and start up a conversation. But, he just pushed off the wall and swam another lap. And then another. And another. Uncharacteristic impatience twitched her fingers, and the queen was about to turn and leave when the boy in the pool called out to her.

"What are you doing here?"

The boy stared at her from the water. Elsa recognized his black hair and indifferent blue eyes within a few seconds.

"Haru…um, kun, good evening." Recollecting her composure, Elsa politely folded her hands in front of her and smiled. "How are you?" There were actually a dozen other questions she wanted to ask, most of them mainly about why he was swimming in the school pool at such a later hour. But, really, she wasn't one to question him, given that she was wandering around the town at night.

"What are you doing here?" he repeated. He gazed at her suspiciously from under his bangs.

Elsa stumbled over her words. "Oh, I was just walking around. And, well, I noticed the lights over here." She awkwardly gestured to the glaring floodlights to avoid maintaining eye contact with Haru. "And I was wondering if something was going on. So I came over, and, um, found you..." She finished lamely, her voice trailing off in embarrassment.

"Okay." His eyes never left the blonde girl. He didn't think it was possible, but she somehow looked even prettier in the light reflecting off the water. It'd been a while since he had had a good, long look at her face because he always sat at the back of the class. Haru felt a twinge of guilt that she was getting visibly unnerved by his blank stare but made no move to stop himself.

"W-well, I should really get going," Elsa turned to leave. "I have to go find Kristoff." She turned quickly on her heels, eager to put some distance between her and Haru, though she hated to be so rude. She already took a few steps before a soft but audible voice stopped her.

"I saw Kristoff a couple minutes ago." Elsa paused and faced the swimmer.

Haru steadily ascended the pool ladder, water dripping off his hair as he flicked his head to the side. Running his fingers through his hair, he slowly strode toward the foreign exchange student. "Where was he?" Elsa asked, keeping her voice level. Haru stopped a foot away from her—a bit too close for the refined, introverted queen. Awkwardly, Elsa averted her eyes and raised a hand to block her gaze, a slight flush on her pale cheeks. "Um, Haru-kun, if you don't mind, could please put a shirt on?"

Haru ignored her request. "I want to see you swim."

Elsa's eyes widened and she whipped her head to face Haru. "What? Why?" But, his clear blue eyes seemed to bore into her, forcing her to look away sheepishly.

"If you prove to me that you can swim, I'll tell you where I saw Ice Boy," Haru negotiated, frigidly referring to Kristoff.

"That bargain is hardly reasonable," Elsa protested. "Besides, I don't have a swimsuit to use."

"There are swimsuits in the storage room. And it's unlocked. Or maybe…" Haru added tauntingly, "foreigners just can't swim at all?"

Pride momentarily flared up in Elsa; she and Anna had spent dozens of their childhood summers swimming at the beaches in Arrendelle—before and after her powers had temporarily overwhelmed her. She was just as good in the water as anyone, and such an assumption about all foreigners being unable to swim was practically begging to be disproven. And yet, there was something nagging at the back of Elsa's mind: the ice on the streetlight from earlier.

She was still worried about Kristoff and, to be honest, had no time to waste with Haru, even if he did know where her friend was. In addition, her anxiety greatly lessened her control. She had no idea if she could suppress her powers right now if she came into contact with water. It'd been a few months since she last went swimming. But, at the time, she hadn't frozen the sea. Can salt water even freeze? Wait, yes it can, she did it before. But, what about chlorinated water? Well, obviously, yes. Then, what if she froze the pool again? Everyone in town would know within a matter of hours and then, everyone in the country, the world. She was getting more nervous by the second. How could Haru not feel how much lower the temperature of the air around her was?

But, rapidly recollecting her composure within moments, the queen cleared her throat and calmly replied, "Not at all, Haru-kun. I can swim just fine. I would just prefer not to do so at this moment."

"I think you're lying." Haru retorted immediately. "Ice Boy couldn't swim either."

Elsa used all her willpower to resist rising to the bait. Hardening her resolve, she stated assertively, "If you're not going to tell me where Kristoff—that is his name, not 'Ice Boy'—then, I'm leaving. Good night, Haru-kun." She was turning to leave when she felt a tug on the loose fabric of her jacket.

Haru's fingers lightly held on her shirt. He seemed about to say something, most likely another attempt to make her stay, but instead his voice cut short and his eyes widened exponentially. Elsa glared at him over her shoulder, ready to tell him to let go, when Haru spoke two words that made her go stock still with fear.

"You're cold."

Elsa's face paled more than usual. Her heart skipped a beat, fully taking in what this boy had just said. In any other context, he would just be sounding polite and caring for her well-being. But, with the setting they were in and the look of utter surprise on Haru's face…

Quickly pulling away from Haru's grasp, Elsa hurriedly rushed toward the gate. She could practically feel ice gathering at her fingertips. She had to get as far away as possible before the anxiety inside burst out of her…

Suddenly, Makoto came running in almost frantically, barreling through the fence gate and onto the deck. Elsa skidded to a stop, letting the brunette rush past her.

"HARU! WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT HERE?! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE TAKING A BATH! I SWEAR, IF YOU SNUCK OUT THE WINDOW AGAIN…!"

Haru looked like he was considering making a run for it across the pool area and over the fence. But before he could sprint off, Makoto grabbed Haru's wrist, still lecturing and scolding him while simultaneously throwing a jacket he'd brought along over his shoulders. Then, turning to Elsa, he ingratiatingly apologized for anything Haru might've done to bother her. Within a minute, the two of them were already heading out the gate, leaving Elsa standing self-consciously on the lighted deck.

But before they left, Makoto paused and called out to Elsa over his shoulder. "Oh yeah, I saw Kristoff on my way over here. He was carrying a bunch of groceries and petting a stray cat. Just thought you might like to know. See you tomorrow!" Then, without even giving her a chance to reply, Makoto dragged Haru out of the pool area and back home. But despite his friend's kind words, Haru's constant glare told Elsa something else: his confusion had resolved into a startling realization.

As Elsa stood alone under the floodlights next to the pool, her cell phone in her pocket buzzed—most likely her long-awaited call from Kristoff—and the last time the queen had felt this anxious was when she had frozen most of her country over with unbreakable ice.

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**R&amp;R as always and if I made any grammar mistakes or some of my sentences don't make sense, please tell me. :) I'll try to get another update by at least the end of Thanksgiving break.**

**Also, I wanted to thank everyone who's followed or favorited my story. I never thought I would get any more than 5! Thank you sooo much! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

So sorry I have totally been neglecting to update for the past, like, 7 months... It's no excuse, but I was busy with semester exams, then my teachers insisted on beginning intensive preparations for AP exams before we'd even finished all the material. But AP exams are over now, so I finally got around to finishing this part which was sitting abandoned and lonely in my draft folder.

But, I cannot thank you all enough for the followers and reviews!

I don't own Free! or Frozen, there's so much OOC it's not even funny, my attempts at humor, all that stuff; please enjoy. :)

* * *

Despite her powers, Elsa enjoyed a clear, sunny day as much as the next person. Reveling in the spring weather that seemed to have warmed up overnight, the blonde queen hugged her thin, pale legs to her chest, being sure to mind the skirt length on the uniform she'd taken to wearing for school. She was sitting on a foldup chair beside the pool, watching the swim club practice. After last night's incident, she refused to go to her own club and insisted on staying with Kristoff. She absent-mindedly tugged at the hems of the thin gray gloves that now wrapped protectively around her hands. Sounds of coughing and gagging suddenly came from her right.

"Kristoff, the pool water went up your nose again?" Elsa heard Makoto ask exasperatedly. "If you want a nose plug, I'll go get one."

"No _cough_ I dun wan one _cough_," Kristoff managed to say. "Dey mage me _cough_ loog sdupid."

The queen chuckled to herself, listening to Kristoff's protests and Makoto's nagging. It was endearing how hard Kristoff was trying to learn how to swim. Her eyes drifted from her friend to the other boys in the pool. The boy who usually wore glasses—Rei—was practicing his stroke while Nagisa timed his laps. Then, cautiously, she allowed her gaze to shift to the dark-haired, flat-expressioned boy in the violet-lined swimsuit. Naturally, he was swimming freestyle in the far lane, but Elsa swore that Haru's blue eyes flicked in her direction every couple of minutes.

Having neither said nor done anything to suggest any suspicion he might have only made Elsa's anxiety worse, fearing that he was slowly but surely putting together the pieces of her secret. It was only a matter of time, Elsa repeatedly told herself, before he realizes the extent of her abilities, of her purpose of being in Japan, of her whole situation.

"Elsa-san?"

Said girl looked up, jolted off her train of thought. The redhead manager, Kou—or Gou, depending on who you ask—held out a bottle to her blond peer. "Would you like some water?"

Taking a second to collect herself, Elsa smiled and took the bottle. "Thank you. And, you can just call me 'Elsa.'" Kou grinned and squatted on the ground as the blond twisted the bottle's cap off.

"If you don't mind, may I ask what brings you to the swim club?" Kou absent-mindedly twirled a lock of reddish purple hair, still nonchalantly observing her team's routine practice. She didn't notice the girl sitting next to her visibly stiffen.

"Oh, Kristoff was raving about the club last night, I just had to come and see what was getting him so excited," Elsa spoke as smoothly and calmly as she could manage. She twitchingly tugged at her glove hems. But as if on cue, Kristoff burst up from the water again gagging on chlorine and flailing embarrassingly.

"OH MY GOD, MAKOTO, MY TONSILS ARE BURNING!"

"Is that so?" Kou replied to Elsa. There was nothing in her tone that indicated or even suggested doubt of Elsa's claim, but nonetheless, the queen felt her body temperature slowly dropping below freezing. "Hey, do you feel a breeze—"

"So about Haru."

Kou's eyes lit up and she turned her attention to the fidgeting foreign exchange student. Elsa internally punched herself for being so rude to interrupt. The redhead tried to keep a sly grin from creeping across her cheeks. "Yes? What about Haru?"

"Um…I sense that Kristoff and I have gotten off on the wrong foot with him, but I would really like to become friends with him and everyone else here, of course." She knew she was sidestepping a lot of extra information, but Elsa continued. "Do you know what sort of things he likes?"

Kou could barely keep her inner fan girl contained. Did Elsa, the pretty blond foreign exchange student, have a thing for Haru, the handsome level-headed star of the swim team? The two of them would be a cute couple—that is, if Haru could get over his unhealthy, borderline sexual obsession with water. "A lot of stuff, I guess, like swimming, swimsuits, pools, water in general…oh! And I think he likes dolphins."

"Hm," Elsa hummed to herself. Truthfully, she did want to make friends while in Japan, but, for now, she needed to concentrate on erasing any suspicions Haru might have of her and her friend. "Does he like sweet things?"

"I don't know. Maybe. He might," Kou dabbled then narrowed in for a direct offensive. "Why do you want to know?"

The blond girl seemed legitimately surprised, as if she herself had yet to come up a reason. After a moment of silence, Elsa slowly replied, "…for a gift."

Kou nearly jumped up in glee. This was a perfect scenario for setting the two up. True, the gift would actually be coming from both Elsa and Kristoff, but the redhead vowed to make sure that the elegant, beautiful Elsa would be the one personally, individually delivering it.

At that moment, a shout came from Nagisa, saying it was time for club to end. Still barely managing to contain her grin, Kou stood up, called for the end of practice, said her farewells to Elsa, and left. The other boys filed into the dressing rooms to shower, leaving Haru in the pool and Elsa sitting on her chair. Realizing the situation a few minutes later, the blond hastily rose from her seat and headed for the exit. She'd only taken five steps when the swimmer's voice cut through the silence.

"Why're you wearing gloves today?"

Elsa hesitantly turned to face Haru, who stood stock still in the shallow side on the far end. "It's more than 70 degrees today."

Elsa couldn't respond. She'd tried to hide her gloves by wearing her long sleeve uniform rather than short sleeve today, but she realized that they still stood out against the black fabric of the blazer. Unable to form words, she just stood there dumbly.

When the blond student failed to reply, Haru spoke up, "If you're still cold tomorrow, I'll bring a jacket for you. The one you were wearing yesterday didn't seem to keep you warm."

_Wait, keep me warm? Is that why Haru had commented I was cold last night?_ Elsa relaxed. "Oh, no thank you. But I appreciate the offer, Haru." The dark-haired boy nodded, accepting her response, and resumed swimming laps. Tension evaporated from the queen's shoulders and her hands dropped to her sides. She would've laughed if she wasn't so terribly relieved.

Maybe he's not as smart as I thought he was, Elsa thought, feeling incredibly calmer as she left.

* * *

Ooookaay, that was kind of short. I feel like my pacing was a little fast in this part, but then again, it probably was in the other ones too. -_- I actually don't ship anyone from Frozen with anyone from Free! because the overall tone from the two productions seems kind of incompatible with each and it just feels like a stretch. But, hey, if you do, that's cool.

I'm actually a little embarrassed that a whole season 2 of Free! came out while I was procrastinating this fanfic, but I probably won't finish before they make a sequel of Frozen. The next update might take a while, since I may rewatch Free!'s first season and look for the second. But that's nothing new...

BTW, I put a poll on my profile concerning this story, and depending on the results I get, I may change the plot around a little bit.


	6. Chapter 6

I am sooooo sorry this update took so long. No excuse really, but I had a ton of school stuff to deal with... But ANYWAY, my writing style might be kind of different now, and there might be a few plot holes from the last update. So, enjoy this (short) update on the story with all the OOC you could hope for.

BTW, thanks to those who left reviews encouraging me to keep going on this story. I was really considering discontinuing, but I feel motivated enough to try to finish this story before this summer ends!

And, I, of course, don't own Free! or Frozen. :D

* * *

"The characters on packaging are so hard to read."

"Oh, do you remember what these katakana mean?"

"That one is 'shi' and the other is 'n'. At least, I think so..."

"Then, this _is_ cinnamon. Kristoff, watch out for the sign behind you."

Said six foot foreigner stopped just short of knocking over a banner advertising a sale on mayonnaise. Elsa smiled gently before turning back to the shelves. The two of them had decided to stop by a nearby grocery store after club, looking for tonight's dinner among other things. Although they could speak Japanese fluently enough with other students at this point, they still struggled to comprehend the language as quickly as a native could.

The two of them continued ambling through the aisles looking up and down the shelves, crossing items off their list as they retrieved them. Kristoff hit the side of his head a few times with his hand. "Ugh, I think I still have some pool water in my ears. I keep thinking I'm hearing weird things." He shook his head a bit.

They were in the fish section now, and Elsa examined a package of mackerel. "Oh? Like what kind of things?" she asked nonchalantly, humoring her companion after a long day of school and swim practice. When Kristoff didn't respond after a few moments, she turned to face him and instantly stiffened after watching his normally happy expression grow serious.

Kristoff narrowed his eyes before glancing around the area. "Like breathing coming from someone I can't see…"

After a minute of silence between the pair, Elsa laughed nervously. "Oh, I'm sure you're just imagining things. Or more pool water got in your ear than you realize. Let's finish shopping, then head home and do our homework." She walked forward, pushing the cart past the large displays of live fish swimming in tanks. Her blue eyes were so concentrated on finding bright yellow sale stickers that she never saw the largest fish tank begin tipping to its side …

"Elsa!"

As soon as he heard the huge glass tank creaking in its descent and saw the murky water begin spilling out from the top, Kristoff sprinted and lunged at the unaware queen. He'd just barely reached her when the tank slammed onto the store's tile floor, shattering and releasing a wave of greenish, fishy water. Kristoff managed to push Elsa out of harm's way, but his foot was caught in the path of the tank. Both foreigners felt flying shards of glass rip at their uniforms' and icy, dirty water flooded and pooled around their lower halves.

Feeling her skin suddenly coming into contact with the cold liquid, Elsa went into a panic. She fumbled around her pockets. She had taken her gloves off earlier to avoid suspicion. But now she could practically see the water around her just freezing from touching her. She was groping over all her uniform's pockets. It was spreading rapidly. The water was everywhere. It was filling up the store. It was all turning to ice. Elsa was clawing at her blazer's pockets. Oh, where did she put her gloves? They would protect her. And they would protect everyone from her. Why were they stubbornly getting caught in her pocket?

Then, a large warm presence surrounded Elsa; Kristoff scooped her up and quickly brought her out of the pool of water in the fish department. He tentatively set her down but kept his arms around her. Elsa herself held Kristoff's blazer tightly in her bare hands, her breathing ragged and her eyes shut.

"It's alright. It's alright. It's alright." Kristoff steadily repeated in Elsa's ear. "Open your eyes." She shook her head vigorously, keeping her eyes tightly shut. She clutched Kristoff's shirt more strongly and almost thought she heard him wince. "Calm down, Elsa. Just take a look around." She gritted her teeth for a few seconds, still refusing to witness all the damage she'd done again. But fighting back tears, the blond hesitantly forced her doe eyes open.

The fall had scattered the glass shards, but they had stayed contained in the fish department. The live fish flopped around dully, and some other displays in the way of the tank had gotten knocked over, but employees were already beginning to mop up the mess and get the fish back into tanks. The water had only reached a couple meters from where the tank fell and was already disappearing down several drains in the area. No ice anywhere.

And no possible culprit in sight either. All the bystanders and employees simply looked on at the spectacle. No one was running out the door or even looking suspicious in general. Despite scanning the crowd for a good couple minutes, Elsa could not detect who might've caused the tank to tip over. Either the culprit had managed to blend into the crowd or already escaped by now, or the fall had been an honest accident.

Elsa's grip relaxed and tension left her body. At least, no one had gotten seriously injured. Sighing deeply in relief, she lifted herself to her feet and brushed herself off. Just then, the store manager came rushing over, frantically apologizing, asking if they were alright, and bowing profusely all at the same time. Elsa insisted they were alright, and she was just glad no one was hurt.

"Are you sure, ma'am?" the manager asked anxiously. "Your clothes are a bit torn up, and I'm concerned for your friend as well." Alarmed, Elsa turned to the blond still sitting on the floor. Kristoff clutched his ankle, rubbing it with some discomfort but no serious pain in his expression.

"Kristoff! Is your ankle alright?" Elsa knelt down to examine the injury.

"I'll be fine. It's just bruised and wet. I've dealt with worse before."

The queen was about to insist before the manager, almost in tears, bowed lower than 90 degrees and exclaimed, "I'm so sorry! There's no excuse for this! We take full responsibility! Although there's no way we can completely apologize for this, we can offer you discounts and whatever you may ask of us!" Kristoff and Elsa were about to protest the excessive generosity before they paused, shared a look, then pulled out their damp but still readable shopping list.

"Well, if it's not too much to ask…"

* * *

Argh, I suck at writing suspense. Welp, hopefully this was enough to compensate for the year or so I haven't posted. But there will be more to comes within the next week, I promise!

This isn't relevant to the plot at all, but I just wanted to mention and partially rant about the katakana characters "shi"(シ) and "n"(ン). I did learn the Japanese alphabet in school, and in my opinion, the hardest characters to learn are "shi," "tsu,"(ツ) "n," and "so"(ソ). If you can't see those because of whatever device you're on, those four are the ones that look like smiley faces and Cyclops smiley faces. I think that it is ridiculously difficult to tell them apart. Half of my class had trouble doing so, and the teacher just said that sometimes it just takes a native speaker to distinct them in handwritten Japanese. So, I figured it would more than a little hard for Elsa and Kristoff to tell them apart on the crazy fonts of Japanese packaging. So, yeah, ok, I'm done ranting now.

R&amp;R, and please correct any of my grammatical mistakes!


	7. Chapter 7

**And here is the promised update! It's even a bit longer than usual, so does that make up for all the missed months? No? Ok, I'm still sorry. D:**

**Anyway, since the poll I put up on my profile still hasn't gotten many results, I tried to leave the relationship status between two certain swimmers a little ambiguous. Okay, that's a lie; there's a bunch of innuendos and vague references to Makoto and Haru being in a relationship. But it's not concrete yet so please go vote on the poll!**

**Warnings: OOC coming out o' our ears, and I don't own Free! or Frozen. Enjoy :)**

* * *

By the time the two exchange students arrived at school the next day, the main attraction of the buzz going around the student body that day once again happened to be focused on the two foreigners. Or more precisely, Elsa. She had thanked Kristoff for insisting that they buy extra uniforms when they had first transferred, but she could feel eyes on her all the way to her homeroom. Still a bit shaken from yesterday's events, she was clinging to Kristoff a little more than usual, which she initially assumed was the reason for the glances from other students. But, as the two separated to go to their respective classes, the stares left the male student and instead focused on the female. As Elsa sat at her desk, she self-consciously checked if her skirt was hiked up or if there was a tear in her blazer.

Still confused about the increase in attention toward her, Elsa decided to ask Haru if he knew anything. Well, she would've asked Haru if he'd been in his seat. The normally ever-present swimmer happened to be absent today. Elsa rose from her seat, intending to ask Makoto in the row nearby, but as if preventing her from doing so, the bell rang out. The teacher strolled into class, telling students to sit down. Compliant as always, Elsa sank back into her seat, still feeling eyes on her despite being in the back of the room. She began shifting nervously in her seat. As soon as homeroom ended, she needed to ask Makoto about what was going on.

But, thanks to a text he received in the middle of class, Makoto rushed out of homeroom, deciding to skip classes for the rest of the day. Elsa did try to slow him down for a few questions, but the brunette blurted out some half-baked excuses about having to go get Haru and that he probably won't be back for the rest of the day. Before Elsa could wrestle any answers from Makoto, he'd already slipped out the classroom doors. Oh lovely, Elsa sarcastically thought to herself, growing slightly frustrated as she once more sank into her desk.

She calmed her nerves by subtly touching an opaque plastic bag she'd placed discreetly in her desk as she came in. She could tolerate the glares for now. After all, Elsa knew they wouldn't be here for much longer.

* * *

After excusing herself from the poetry club with the same polite airs as always, Elsa made her way to the swimming pool. In her arms, she carried the same plastic bag she'd had in her desk the whole day. She swung open the gate to the enclosure and smiled as she saw Kou lounging on one of the deck chairs.

"Hello, Elsa!" The redhead stood up. "The guys should be just about done changing." With a grin – that seemed slightly mischievous, or was that just Elsa's imagination? – Kou motioned to one of the nearby chairs for the blond student to sit. "So, what's in the bag?"

Placing herself gently onto the plastic chair, Elsa softly smiled and replied, "Just a little something for the swim club."

"The whole swim club?" Kou waggled her eyebrows. "So including Haru?"

"Yes, of course." Elsa seemed a little surprised by the question, then remembered Kristoff's frequent interactions with Haru that were unpleasant to say the least. It would be natural – although they would be mistaken to think so – for others to assume that both foreign exchange students developed a disliking toward Haru. "In fact, Kristoff and I made this with Haru in mind," Elsa admitted. Yes, it would be better to let other students know that despite what's happened, she and Kristoff still wanted to be friends with Haru.

"Is that so?" Kou could barely manage to maintain her excitement. "Both you and Kristoff? Or was it mainly just you?" Maybe the foreign exchange student just needed a little nudging to admit her affection.

Elsa paused. "Well, yes, I must admit I was the one who did most of it." Surely she could confide a small secret in Kou: Kristoff did nothing to help except read the instructions while she did all the manual labor.

The redhead coach was grinning like a maniac by now. But before either of the two girls could continue, a burst of honey-blond energy exploded from the locker room. Nagisa bounded across the deck in his swimsuit, cap and goggles in hand.

"ELSA-CHAN!" the second-year student leaped at the blond girl, smothering her in a patented Nagisa hug, legs included. "Is Kristoff here yet?"

"Don't run in the pool area!" Rei followed after to pry the energetic Nagisa off the visibly uncomfortable Elsa.

After a minute of detaching Nagisa, Elsa chuckled and replied, "Kristoff went to the nurse to make sure his ankle was alright to swim with. He … slipped on some stairs a few nights ago."

"OH NOES, KRISTOFF-CHAN -"

"Alright enough socializing," Kou interrupted, standing up from her chair with a clipboard. "Time to practice. Today's training regime will be– …wait, where's Haru and Makoto?"

"Oh? They're not here?" Rei looked back toward the locker rooms. Nagisa shaded his eyes with his hand and pretended to scope around the area for the two other members.

Kou shrugged. "Haru probably forgot something in his house again and wanted Makoto to come over to help him. Or Makoto asked Haru to help deliver his groceries in the back of his house. Or Haru needed Makoto's help picking out a swimsuit. You know how those two are." The group nodded in agreement before Kou sent Nagisa and Rei to the pool for their warm up. Meanwhile, the two girls settled back into their chairs to observe the practice.

"So, Elsa," Kou began, turning to face said girl. "I haven't had much of a chance to really talk with you yet. What do you think of Iwatobi so far? You've been in Japan for about a month now, right?"

The blond twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "Oh, I think it's a lovely little town, and all the people are so nice. I'm truly glad Kristoff and I were able to transfer here." Elsa knew she would have to lower her defenses if she wanted to blend in with the other students, but at the same time, she needed to be careful of how much she said. What would be a good, safe topic to discuss…? "So, Ko – er, Matsuoka-san – do you have any siblings?"

"Just Kou is fine. And yes, I have a sibling two years older than me, who goes to another school. Matsuoka Rin."

"Oh, I see. Is she in a swimming club as well?"

"He. Rin's actually a he. And, yup, my brother loves swimming almost as much as Haru-senpai. What about you, Elsa?"

"I have a younger sister, Anna, but she wasn't able to transfer with me because of a job she couldn't quit. I guess you could say she's very devoted to her line of work."

"Whoa, that's amazing." Kou could swear that she admires Elsa and her associates more and more each day. "So, is Kristoff-kun not related to you?"

"Kristoff? Oh, no, he's just a good family friend. Well, at least, for now. Actually, you see," Elsa paused, feeling a grin spread over her flushed cheeks and her heart swell with pride. "He's engaged to my sister. They're having the ceremony in November."

Kou squealed, clasping her reddening cheeks in her hands. "Eeeeek! How romantic! I'm so happy for Kristoff and your sister! Although, between you and me…" The redhead manager leaned closer to Elsa cupping her hand against the side of her mouth. "If word of this got out, Kristoff will be breaking a lot of hearts if you know what I mean."

The blond student threw back her head laughing. "As expected of him! He's lucky Anna doesn't get jealous easily!"

Elsa and Kou continued their pleasantries long after Nagisa and Rei had finished their warm up and Kristoff had come down to the pool to join them. The bubbly muscle fanatic and the queenly exchange student got along so well, it was as if they'd been friends since they were children. But after about fifteen minutes, Nagisa was again sent bounding across the deck as the pool gate swung open and two more students joined them.

"HARU-CHAN! MAKO-CHAN! WE MISSED YOU!" Nagisa tackled the two latecomers, with Rei following behind as always to try to calm Nagisa down. "WHOA HARU YOU GOT A LOT OF BUG BITES ON YOUR NECK!"

Finally managing to hold Nagisa back, Rei eyed the two upperclassmen friends. Their interactions had seemed a little turbulent ever since Kristoff had inadvertently upset Haru and created an apparent rift between Makoto and him. But now, the two seemed as close to each other as always with Haru's usual poker face and Makoto grinning from ear to ear. _Well at least they managed to come to a compromise of some sort_, Rei though contentedly. _They really are simply great friends._

"It's about time you two showed up!" Kou stood up, placing her hands on her hips as the four swimmers went back toward the pool. "Although practice certainly didn't wait for you, poor Elsa had to!"

"What? Oh, no, I was fine really – "

"Don't you know you're never supposed to make a lady wait? HARU?" Kou directed her attention on the black-haired boy currently giving her a blank stare. "Oh and Makoto too." Said brunette smiled sheepishly and apologized for being late.

As Kou continued her lecture, Haru tuned her out and shifted his gaze to the blond girl still sitting in the deck chairs behind the manager. He locked eyes with her and nodded in acknowledgement. Meanwhile, Elsa twitched a bit at both the slightly rude greeting and the sudden focus of the swimmer that had kept the two foreign exchange students on their toes thus far. She and Kristoff were still unsure of the apathetic-appearing Haru's motives and still felt uneasy around him. Hopefully, today would improve their encounters to be a bit more positive.

Elsa made eye contact with Kristoff, who made his way over to the group from the pool. Meanwhile, she gently stood up, holding the opaque plastic bag in her arms. "Pardon me, Kou, but would it be all right if I gave this to everyone now?" she asked, gesturing to the object in her hold.

"Oh, right, right!" Kou eagerly side-stepped out of the way, creating a clear path from Elsa to Haru. "Here, you should personally deliver it to Haru-senpai!"

The blond girl's cheeks flushed slightly, a tad surprised that she would be giving it directly to someone. Nonetheless, she straightened her posture and walked down the pathway created to stand in front of Haru. With the swim club's attention on her, Elsa slid the bag off her gift to reveal a large plastic tupperware containing a warm, golden-brown tart with vibrant red filling peeking through a latticed pattern. Haru's bright blue eyes widened from the sight of it.

"It's Fyrstekake," Elsa explained, trying to contain her pride as she carefully handed it over to Haru. She'd spent two nights making this, so it would only be natural to feel a little self-satisfaction from her success.

"Fish-the-WHAT?" Nagisa exclaimed, not even trying to suppress his giggling.

"Fyrstekake," Kristoff repeated, placing a stern hand on Nagisa's head. "It's a traditional dessert from our country."

As Kristoff produced a knife and plates to serve it with, Elsa clarified the ingredients, saying it had a rich almond flavor and a special raspberry filling made from regional Japanese wine berries. The swim club happily dug in, all the while thoroughly enjoying the taste and complimenting Elsa on her dessert. Rei gushed about its beauty both in appearance and flavor, and Nagisa requested a second serving, then a third, then a fourth. Kou simply melted over the sweet homemade raspberry filling and pastry, and Makoto eagerly ate up his portion.

However, even while humbly accepting the praise from the club members, Elsa was paying close attention to Haru's reaction throughout the ordeal. She'd noted first that he was actually visibly impressed by both the visual and gustatory appeal of the tart. But most importantly, she'd noted the crucial interaction of Kristoff handing a piece of the tart to Haru. Although she'd initially worried that Haru would bitterly decline a portion if it was coming from his hated peer, he'd only hesitated for a moment before gladly taking the plate and mumbling a thank you. Kristoff had offered a warm smile in response, which the swimmer reciprocated with a nod – that was probably his equivalent of another person's smile.

Elsa reveled in the thawing relations between the two boys. As she took small bites of her piece of tart, she looked on in Haru's direction with a genuine, cheerful expression clear on her face. All of which was being discreetly captured on Kou's smart phone resting in full viewing of the peaceful scene.

* * *

**Hey, I actually had to do research (read: just Googling stuff) for this part. So Fyrstekake is also known as Norwegian Royalty Cake, which I found fitting since Frozen's setting was based on Norway and Elsa and Anna are obviously royals. The specific recipe I referenced can be found here: (**** ). The pronunciation is FISH-deh-kakah, which in my immature mind sounded like "fish the c**k eh, which is why I wrote Nagisa to be so amused when Elsa said it.**

**If I made any mistakes, please message me or leave a review noting it, and I'll fix it ASAP. Please R&amp;R and thank you for reading!**

**The next update may take a few weeks but not a few months this time, I promise.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello, I'M BACK with another update! I know I promised it wouldn't take me months for another chapter, but it technically took like a month and a half, so...we're good. And I'm honestly sorry, but I love having Makoto and Haru be in a relationship. They're both adorable dorks, and that ship needs to be canon.**

**Well anyway, I regret to inform you that I still do not own neither Frozen nor Free! and I suck at writing established characters. :P**

* * *

If the student body's interest had been sparked previously, they were fully ablaze by the next day. Elsa arrived at school with a small smile on her lips, the whole school already confirming their rumors and gossip with that small smile. However, as Elsa walked through the hallways, the poor girl slowly became aware of the blatant whispers and stares in her direction. The quick glances and barely concealed grins seemed to grow thicker with each step she took. Clutching her book bag strap a little tighter and sweeping her white-blond bangs away from her face nervously, Elsa hurried a little faster to her homeroom. All the school hurried a little faster with her. Finally, all eyes were on her as she opened the door to her classroom. All students watched fervently for the first interaction of the day after between the lovely, elegant foreign exchange student Elsa and the mysterious, handsome star swimmer Haru Nanase ...… who was absent again today.

The student body groaned in disappointment with Elsa, who'd hoped to talk with Haru and secure their friendship. Everyone would just have to wait until after school. The bell chimed, the teacher walked in, and students hurried to sit down. Elsa pulled out her pencil bag, silently noting that Makoto seemed to be gone as well. _Those two certainly seem to always coordinate their truancies,_ she absent mindedly thought. _Well, at least they're looking out for each other._

* * *

Kou Matsuoka had always believed herself to lean more towards optimism and hope. Despite her fair share of hardships, she'd still prefer to err on the side of overconfidence. This positivity carried into many aspects of her life, the most relevant being her management of the Iwatobi High School swim club. Although they were never able to recruit any more members than their loyal four, Kou never stopped hoping that, someday, the pool area would be overflowing with eager young men and women, ready to train and win competitions. Of course, such hopes had yet to be attained, which admittedly made Kou a little depressed. So then, when the redhead swung open the creaky pool gate after school, she thought she'd just hit her head and fell into a dream.

The pool area was _packed_.

Packed with four-packs, six-packs, and oh my god, was that an eight-pack?

At least twenty other male and female students surrounded the pool, all in swimsuits, cap, and goggles. Some began swimming warm up laps, while others stretched off to the side, while others were applying sunblock. Meanwhile, Nagisa, Rei, and Kristoff sat off to the side, awkward and uncharacteristically quiet. Makoto and Haru were as late as always, but Elsa was strangely absent. Kou could only stand there in shock, taking in the wonderful sights before her.

Suddenly Kou felt a hand on her head, rubbing her hair. Looking up at the person, a grin spread across her face. Today was just getting better and better. "Onii-san!"

"Hey, Kou." Rin chuckled at his little sister's expression, flashing his sharp teeth. He was dressed in his school tracksuit and seemed to be sweating and catching his breath. "What's happening here?"

"What's happening? Well, would you just look at all this…. this beauty!" Her hands flung out to gesture at the bustling pool area. Kou's words bubbled out of her like a fountain overflowing with suds from a dish soap prank. This was probably one of the best days of her life. Rin just smiled and watched and listened. Finally, Kou managed to calm down, but still couldn't keep her smile off her face. "Anyway, not that I don't like visiting with you, but what brings you here?"

"Ah, right," Rin pulled out his phone. "The little blond kid texted me about a mob attacking the pool area. He refused to explain anything, so I rushed over." He scrolled through a lengthy text conversation showcasing Nagisa's freak out.

Before Kou could respond, some of the students by the pool area called out to her. She was the manager after all; she would need to hand out instructions for the daily training regime. As the two redheads made their way poolside, Kou noticed even more students piling in, but rather than putting on swimwear, they just sat down in the sidelines to watch. She picked up her clipboard from its hanger and flipped through the papers.

Kou looked up to face the new swim club members and rapidly paled. This was definitely more than a little nerve wracking. All eyes in the pool area were on her, every ear was tuned in to hear what she had to say, and so many toned muscles were leaning toward her, awaiting her instructions. Even though she'd never had stage fright before, Kou could feel her cheeks losing color and her hands shake. Thankfully, the clipboard was quickly plucked from her hands by none other than her dear older brother.

"All right, here's what you all are going to do. Split yourself into two groups. One group is in the pool, the other is on the sidelines stretching or doing strengthening exercises. We have limited resources here so let's be smart about this…" Automatically assuming control, Rin barked out instructions, his experience as team captain showing through. Within minutes, the club was up and going, with all the present members busy at their stations.

Rin slid the clipboard back into his sister's hands. Finally letting out a sigh of relief, Kou slumped forward. "Thanks, Nii-san."

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Club activities went smoothly to say the least. Kou brought out water for the swimmers and spectators, took back the manger position, and quickly learned how to effectively shout instructions. She was beginning to come down from her high of how many members the swim club had gained, but Kou began to feel an air of uneasiness around the pool area. It came primarily from the spectators; their tension was nearly palpable; there was the sense that they were waiting for something that hadn't arrived yet.

When the gate creaked open, all heads turned simultaneously to see the new arrivals. The tension seemed to shatter as Elsa, Haru, and Makoto all strolled in.

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**Leave a review, and please don't forget about the poll if you have another pairing you think I should include!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I present to you...the crappy continuation. But seriously though, I am not the best at writing action sequences. And I tried being artsy, I guess.**

**Anyway, all the usual disclaimers (which I'm frankly not sure are really needed on every chapter), I don't own Free! or Frozen, and sometimes I like to take established personalities and warp them to fit my narrative. Quite literally. But, enjoy.**

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"Hello, Kou," Elsa greeted her friend. "My, there's a lot of people today!" She set her bag onto a nearby table while Haru and Makoto wordlessly headed into the locker rooms to change.

"Yup, they all just joined today," Kou slid into a chair at the table Elsa sat down at. She decided they should jump right into it. "Soooooooo, Elsa, why were you and Haru so late to practice today, hmm?" The entire pool area dropped to a whisper.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be late." Being her usual cordial self, Elsa profusely apologized. "I went to the staff room after school and asked our teachers to make copies of the work from the past two days. For Haru and Makoto, since they've been absent recently."

_What an angel._ "Oh, I see. But how did you two end up arriving together?"

"We ran into each other in the classroom. Makoto had forgotten something in his desk."

_Who's Makoto again? Oh yeah, Haru's tall friend. Talk about a third wheel. _"Oh, I see, I see. Discuss anything interesting on your way over here?"

Elsa pondered for a moment. "Oh, yes! Makoto quite liked the cake from yesterday and asked for the recipe. I proposed maybe someday we could all get together to bake just for fun."

_Man, I wish we'd been invited to have some cake yesterday. Ooh, and a baking date would be too cute!_ Kou caught on instantly to the suggested baking get together. As both girls grew excited in planning a big event for all of the swim club, the spectators and new members seemed to all gravitate toward their table, casually walking by ever closer to listen for any key information. They subtlely leaned in their chairs and inconspicuously lingered a little longer around them.

"HEY, GOU!" Nagisa's voice shot through the thickening atmosphere. "I FORGOT WHAT I'M SUPPOSED TO BE DOING! COME HELP MEEEEEEE"

Kou gritted her teeth; as much as she liked Nagisa, this was not the best time. "In a minute, okay—"

Elsa stood up, the harsh scraping of her chair ripping at the tense environment. "I'll go look at the clipboard for you, Nagisa-kun. Kou, I'll be right back." She headed to the clipboard, which was on its usual hook at the opposite end of the pool area.

The yard silently groaned in disappointment. They were wasting their precious after school time at this dingy puddle of water, and yet not a single juicy piece of gossip had surfaced about Elsa and Haru. Why couldn't that annoying blond kid just keep splashing around in the pool like he always does? Get back to asking and answering questions please. The redhead manager also pursed her lips in frustration. But, as she watched Elsa's back, she finally took notice of the leering glares and investigating stares directed at the blonde from the spectators and had a sudden realization. _Oh god, how could I have been so naïve?_ Kou guiltily ran her hand through her bangs. _Of course, they're all here for Elsa. And I'm the swimming club manager. I should be managing, not trying to squeeze rumors out of my friend. _Standing up from her chair, Kou turned toward Elsa, who was already halfway past the pool. "I'm sorry, I'll go do it myself after all…"

But before she could even take a step, wet and quick footsteps slapped rapidly against the concrete. Before anyone could yell not to run in the pool area or anyone could even see who it was, a heavy body slammed into the oblivious blonde girl.

The thirty something students present could only watch in horror, not even letting out a gasp, as Elsa's thin body flew back with a sickening crack. Her white-blond hair shrouded her expression, which had only begun to grasp what just happened. With no one nearby to catch her, the shocked exchange student arced into the pool. And as the teal water rushed closer and closer to her, the only thing Elsa could see in her stretched wide blue eyes was hard, black, all-devouring ice running and spreading from her fingertips as soon as she would hit the water.

"Elsa!"

Suddenly a huge mass rose up out of the water beneath Elsa. Shaggy blond hair and broad shoulders engulfed her before shoving her back away from the pool. Kristoff put as much strength as possible into pushing her away from the water. But soon after, Kristoff sank into the pool, struggling to stay afloat. Elsa managed to land her feet onto the concrete. Unable to regain her footing on the slippery surface, she began to topple over again. Her arms flailed out and she let out a small squeak for help.

This time, a hand roughly grabbed Elsa's arm and yanked her back from the water. She fell onto a swimmer's bare chest, shaken and embarrassed but safe and far enough away from the pool. Elsa clamped her eyes shut and clenched her fists, inadvertently digging her nails into her rescuer. Feeling the arms around her wince in pain, she immediately released her grip and stood back. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I'm was just so scared—"

"What are you scared of?"

The familiar voice made Elsa take another step back. Haru rubbed the spot on his chest where the blonde's nails had left a few marks, and Elsa stiffened at his questioning gaze. She'd let it slip. She and Kristoff had been so careful to guard their secret, but then in the heat of the moment, she'd just blurted out. This one incident would ruin everything, and all of Japan would know by tomorrow, and she would have no choice but to return to Arendelle in defeat. Elsa looked away from Haru and felt her body temperature rapidly dropping. She was losing control. She made no effort to hide her movements as she groped her pockets for her gloves. Everyone was going to see her. She was so occupied with searching her pockets that she didn't notice Haru out of the corner of her eye moving toward her again.

"Stay still." Elsa's panic was abruptly soothed by Haru's deep voice. Looking up to him, Elsa felt a warm, dry towel gently drape over her head, completely concealing her face to the intrigued onlookers. Haru held the towel securely over her and brought his face forward a few inches from Elsa's. Their blue eyes met; Haru's filled with a kind determination, and Elsa's with dread. "What are you scared of?" he repeated slowly and warmly.

The first thought that came to Elsa's mind was to push Haru away. She was too cold and only getting colder by the moment; even the typically imperceptive Haru would eventually notice. But, she just couldn't bring herself to look away from his eyes. They were usually so crystalline and clear of any emotion, but now… they were _overflowing_. "If there's something wrong, you should say so."

Elsa hesitated. As much as she trusted Haru in that moment, it still wouldn't be wise to just let the cat out of the bag. But, what would cover up her secret and still convince Haru and the rest of the people there? Taking a deep breath, Elsa whispered as quietly as possible, as if she refused to let even Haru hear. "Um, I'm… I'm…afraid of…water…"

"…what." Haru's face rapidly devolved back to its apathetic state.

"I mean, I'm afraid of, um…drowning!" Elsa tried to lightly laugh. "Yes, I never learned how to swim, so I'm deathly afraid of getting in deep water!" Seeing Haru's expression change, Elsa quickly removed the towel covering their faces and took several more steps away from both Haru and the pool. The spectators thickly surrounded the two now but cleared a path for Elsa as she backed away.

Interrupting Elsa and Haru's scene, a bout of yelling came from the far corner of the pool area. "Hey, you! You're not wearing our uniform! Who do you think you are, coming in here and shoving girls around?"

Everyone turned to look at the spectacle and caught a glimpse of some of the swimmers trying to stop a dark-haired man jumping over the fence. Before anyone could grab him or get a good view of his face, he was outside the pool yard and sprinting away into the town. Demands immediately came from the new members to run after the unknown man who had tried to push Elsa into the pool. Some of the swimmers were beginning to climb over the fence before Rin raised his voice over the crowd.

"That's enough!" Rin yelled back at the increasingly angry mob. "I've already called the police, and they'll catch the guy. The rest of you, get back to your stations!" The new members seemed ready to challenge Rin, but a threatening glare from the redhead captain sent the swimmers begrudgingly back to their lanes. As the crowd dissipated, Haru gave Elsa one last glance before heading back to his own station. As for the blond exchange student, she stood on the deck, her legs trembling like a newborn deer. Kou tentatively approached her and placed a hand on her tensed shoulders. Elsa winced, she must've sprained her arm when she'd gotten slammed into. Kou said nothing, only sharing a sympathetic look with her before guiding her to a first aid kit.

Meanwhile, a small scrap of bright yellow paper near the fence caught Rin's eye. At first glance, it seemed to have fallen from the man's jacket as he escaped, but as Rin came closer, he saw that it'd been carefully tucked into the fence wires. Pulling it out and unfolding it, he furrowed his brow. English writing had been scrawled shakily onto the paper in thick ink. If the other swimmers had seen it, they probably wouldn't have been able to tell it was English, or if they could, would've dismissed it as unintelligible scribble. But with his experience, Rin was able to make out what the sloppy hand had written; a mysterious note, reading:

"Misfortune follows the blonde queen."

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**I think there were a few people asking for Rin to show up, and although he will be making many more appearances later on, unfortunately Sousuke will not be. Also, Rei won't get very much attention either.**

**R&amp;R and feel free to go Grammar Nazi on this chapter.**


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